


Pas de deux

by another_maggies



Series: Choni collection [8]
Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Cheryl's a dancer, F/F, Toni's a devoted godmother, shit happens
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-22
Updated: 2018-12-24
Packaged: 2019-09-25 00:33:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,151
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17111057
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/another_maggies/pseuds/another_maggies
Summary: Cheryl stars in NYCB's "Nutcracker". So does Toni's goddaughter. Obviously, things happen.





	1. Act I, Scene 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is just a cute little something I whipped up for Christmas so yay, enjoy! :)

Toni meets Cheryl by chance.

Lucky coincidence, happy accident.

 

When Toni arrives, - 12 minutes late, thanks for nothing MTA -, at NYCB on a cold September afternoon, she expects to pick up her goddaughter - period.

She anticipates Kai to be a bit grumpy about her delay. She predicts that pizza on 10th and a movie on 42nd will easily cure that.

She certainly doesn’t foresee Cheryl Blossom dancing the _Pas de Deux_.

 

Cheryl Blossom.

No wonder the redhead is famous. It’s like her name left her no choice.

Toni’s heard her name plenty of times before. Ever since Kai could talk, really. And Kai was an early talker.

So, in theory, Toni’s known Cheryl for a decade before she meets her. She shouldn’t be this nervous. And yet she finds herself running her sweaty palms down her pants as the redhead crosses the room to greet her.

 

Kai immediately jumps into action, eyes shining with adoration as she exclaims: “You were brilliant!”

“Yeah, you were great,” Toni echoes. She’s only mildly disappointed that her godchild stole her line and she’s left to settle for the lesser word choice.

Cheryl smiles, nonetheless.

“Thank you,” she says, the voice of an angel.

Toni blinks. Apparently, some people _do_ have it all. Before she can get caught up in that thought of train, though, the prima ballerina speaks again.

“I hope it wasn’t too much trouble to stay longer, Mrs. Peabody. Kai’s just wanted to watch Dmitri and I dance ever since we started rehearsals, and she never could, as we usually do mornings and she’s in school, so I thought –”

When Toni arrived at NYCB this afternoon, she certainly didn’t expect Cheryl Blossom to ramble in front of her. Or, for an eleven-year-old, of all people, to interrupt Cheryl Blossom’s unexpected rambling.

“Toni’s not my mom.”

“Oh?” Cheryl frowns, and – _gosh_ – does she always look that good doing that? “I’m sorry, I assumed…”

Toni’s glad to recover her voice just in time for her to put the beautiful redhead, who before this day wasn’t much more than a part of her goddaughter’s vision board, at ease.  
“It’s okay. Toni Topaz, Miss Kai Peabody’s most honourable and honoured godmother,” she says, extending her hand.

Cheryl takes it, shakes it. Cheryl’s hands are smooth. “Cheryl Blossom, nice to meet you.”

Toni’s grateful that the “I know” on the tip of her tongue doesn’t slip. Instead, she goes for the much smoother: “Nice to meet you, too.”

She doesn’t know what else to say. Her basic ballet knowledge won’t last her long. But she desperately wants to keep talking to Cheryl, wants to keep listening to her voice.

It’s good that Toni’s always been a risk taker. “Hey, you’ve got any plans tonight? Kai and I were gonna grab some dinner on 10th, and I’d really like to make it up to you for letting us watch.”

 

In another fortunate turn of events (is it legal to be that lucky?), Cheryl doesn’t turn Toni down, but instead asks for a couple of minutes, so she can change out of her training clothes.

Kai, of course, is having the time of her life. Toni doesn’t think she even knows that this dinner invitation is not a purely utilitarian offer on her godmother’s side.

By the time Cheryl joins them in the lounge, Kai has sent texts to all of the saved contacts on Toni’s phone she knows (a grand total of three).

“Hey,” Cheryl greets them, blissfully oblivious. “Thanks for waiting.”

Again, Toni is grateful for her affective filter. No matter how much she wants to tell the redhead she’d wait forever for her.


	2. Act I, Scene 2

By the middle of October, the reason Toni finds herself at NYCB more and more often is no longer her goddaughter. It’s her girlfriend.

Her girlfriend, prima ballerina Cheryl Blossom. Her girlfriend, archery champ Cheryl Blossom. Her girlfriend, Michelangelo reincarnated Cheryl Blossom.

Honestly, if Toni was any less confident, she would probably struggle. But since she is perfectly content with herself and the work she’s doing, there’s no hesitation in the way she flaunts Cheryl’s accomplishments into everybody’s faces.

“Seriously, Tiny,” Fangs sighs just after Toni’s told him that the way Cheryl makes pancakes (with Blossom maple syrup, because, _of course_ , Cheryl is running a maple empire next to her day job of being a high-in-demand jetsetting dance prodigy!) is way superior to his. “You should get another hobby.”

But Toni can’t. Even if it costs her a pancake. (Fangs really should learn how to deal with constructive criticism or he’ll never get that apron he so craves). Toni cannot and will not stop talking about her wonderful, stunning, amazing girlfriend, Cheryl Blossom.

Little does she know that Cheryl’s friends find themselves in a very similar situation.

“I’m very happy that Toni’s getting good work around Halloween,” Veronica says as they facetime during break, “But I asked you how you were doing?”

“Uh. Me? I’m good. Yeah…” Cheryl sighs, stirs her coffee some more. Toni’s done her bun today. Lace braided, secured with a couple of bobby pins and Toni’s favourite rainbow coloured hair tie. “I’m good.”

Veronica shakes her head. It’s hard to tell whether she’s amused or annoyed. (Maybe the latter. Probably both.) “Seriously, Cheryl. You need to get another hobby.”

“ _Toni_ ’s not a hob-”

“Second that,” Dmitri chimes in, causing Cheryl to spin around in her chair. At least, Veronica can admire Toni’s handiwork on her hair now.

“ _Seriously_? You too?”

Her (other, completely and exclusively work-related) partner holds his hands up in surrender. “Hey! I’m for a love story that totally should be turned into a Netflix Christmas rom com.”

“Tea!,” comes the enthusiastic approval over the speaker.

“But yesterday you told me about how good your girlfriend looks when she’s brushing her teeth and I think a limit has been reached.”

Veronica laughs. Cheryl blushes. She can’t really argue with that. Although: Toni does look awfully cute brushing her teeth!

 

Toni props herself up on her elbow in bed at night, a little while after both of them have brushed their teeth, tucks a strand of hair behind Cheryl’s ear and says: “Your lease is running out.”

Cheryl raises an eyebrow. This is not the conversation she expects after she’s just emerged from below the duvet. Even her beautiful bun’s come undone due to her meticulous efforts. “Yeah? Guess I should renew it soon…”

“Don’t,” Toni whispers. She leans forward, seals it with a kiss. Her hand goes into tangled locks. “Stay with me.”

A beat of silence. Two.

“ _What_?”

“Move in with me. Your apartment is basically a shoebox. I hate it when you go there. I can’t sleep without you. Please,” she pauses just to press another kiss to Cheryl’s open mouth, “Stay.”

It feels like too much, too soon. But there’s also something else looming over them, and so Cheryl swallows. “Okay.”


End file.
